Sitting Congress MP from Kanpur Lok Sabha constituency Shriprakash Jaiswal on Wednesday exuded confidence that UPA will form the next government at the centre.

Jaiswal who is contesting against veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, SP’s Surendra Mohan Agrawal and Salim Ahmed of BSP admitted that his real contest is with the BJP.

“Every time the contest has been against the BJP and so is this time,” he said while talking to reporters after casting his ballot at a polling booth in Chakeri area here.

On being asked about allegations levelled by the opposition parties on him, he said, “I have challenged leaders who have blamed me. Be it Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley or Murli Manohar Joshi, no one has accepted the challenge. They haven’t been able to prove the allegations either.”

“Blame-game are a routine during elections, it doesn’t really matter to me,” he said.

Over 44 per cent voters exercised their franchise in Kanpur till 3 pm, the election officials said adding the polling percentage recorded in 2009 elections was 37.90.

The discrepancies reported in EVMs at few polling booths were immediately resolved. No untoward incident has been reported so far in Kanpur where the polling process has picked up, they said.